Bringing maths to life at the Science Museum

by AprilSix Proof

Guardian: A new mathematics gallery planned, thanks to a generous individual donation

In pride of place on Exhibition Road, London’s Science Museum has always been the go-to location for inspiring science exhibitions and events. Now, thanks to the largest individual donation ever made to the museum, plans for the world’s foremost gallery of mathematics will go ahead, and will be designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

The £5 million gift from the David and Claudia Harding Foundation was warmly welcomed by Science Museum Director Ian Blatchford who said: “David and Claudia stand out among philanthropists as dedicated champions of science. We are determined to match their enormous generosity with the ambition we show in harnessing our world-class collections to tell the stories of how mathematicians have helped to shape the world. This is a game-changing gift to the museum.

“The permanent gallery will tell stories that place mathematics at the heart of our lives, exploring how mathematicians, their tools and their ideas have helped to shape the world. Zaha Hadid, who has studied maths, said: “The design explores the many influences of mathematics in our everyday lives; transforming seemingly abstract mathematical concepts into an exciting interactive experience for visitors of all ages.”

The David and Claudia Harding Mathematics Gallery will open in 2016 and will be curated by David Rooney, who led the delivery of the award-winning Codebreaker exhibition about the life of Alan Turing. It is being delivered as part of the Science Museum’s Masterplan, which will transform around a third of the museum over the next five years.